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Sevier, J. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Sevier, J. R..

Mission objectives for geological exploration of the Apollo 16 landing site

The objectives of the Apollo 16 mission to delineate the nature and origin of two major physiographic units of the central lunar highlands are discussed. Surface exploration plans, specific sampling procedures, operational constraints, and suites of samples that were collected for specific local objectives are described. Pre-mission hypotheses that favored a volcanic origin for the Cayley plains as well as the Descartes mountains were proved to be wrong by the mission results, but not enough samples have been studied to draw any other definite conclusions. Two contrasting schools of thought about the origin of the Apollo fragmental impact deposits are described: one maintains that the samples are predominantly of local origin, while the other suggests more distant, basin-related sources.

Muehlberger, W. R.↗

Planning and management of science programs on Skylab

Discussion of the experience gained in experiment operation planning during the Skylab mission. The Skylab flight planning activity allowed the experimenters to interact with the system and provided the flexibility to respond to contingencies both major and minor. Both these aspects contributed to make efficient use of crew time thus helping to increase the science return from the mission. Examples of the need for real time scheduling response and of the tradeoffs considered between conflicting experiment requirements are presented. General management principles derived from this experience are developed. The Skylab mission experiences, together with previous Apollo mission experiences, are shown to provide a good background for Shuttle flight planning.

Parker, R. A. R.↗

Experiment planning during the Skylab missions

The objectives of the Skylab Program included observations of the earth, the sun, the stars, and a comet in addition to a variety of engineering and medical experiments. Attention is given to mission planning activities accomplished before the launch of the orbital workshop, during the manned missions, and between manned missions. Two major purposes of early experiments planning were related to the establishment of reasonable potential goals in terms of accomplishment and the discovery of potential problems in scheduling. Planning during the mission proceeded according to a scheme in which the planning was done on a daily basis. Experiences from the three Skylab missions are discussed separately. The results of the Skylab Program demonstrate the value of the daily experiment planning system that was capable of reacting to changing constraints.

Sevier, J. R.↗